Fireworks
by aprms
Summary: 'She was silhouetted against the backdrop of brightly lit restaurants on the waterfront and leaning against the metal railing, her glassy eyes like huge orbs of light reflecting the water below. She seemed a little sad as she gazed out at the boats. Sam was surprised. He thought this would be exactly her kind of thing.' Sam is enjoying a night off work when he spots his ex.


**This idea popped into my head last night and I had to get it out of my system. Thank you to Captain Crunk for pointing out that I cannot speak fluent American and that I use the word 'just' a lot. :) I hope you enjoy it! I enjoyed writing it.**

Fireworks

Sam couldn't remember the last time he'd had a full night off work, but he was gonna make damn sure he wouldn't forget this one any time soon. He pulled the collar of his suede jacket up against the night chill, the soft wool of the inside tickling his neck. His girlfriend Alice's arm was hooked snugly through his as they wandered down the busy pier, in no hurry as people of all ages meandered around them. They wanted to enjoy the night at their own lazy pace, just relishing each other's company.

Alice caught his eye and smiled, her short red hair peeking out from under the thick wool hat she wore. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," she said, squeezing his arm. He sighed, a light fog leaving his mouth as he did so. Alice's nose was rosy in the cold and her face paler than usual, making the light smattering of freckles on her cheeks stand out vividly. She had the kind of face whose details Sam could never picture when she wasn't there, making her beauty all the more shocking every time he saw her. From the first moment she'd come crashing into the hospital dressed as a giant banana, carrying her one year old daughter and shouting about a broken ankle, he had known she was something special.

Now the three year old was tucked up in bed at Sam's place with the babysitter and the couple had an entire night to themselves, making them feel like two excited teenagers all over again.

"This was such a great idea babe," Sam said with a smile, looking out at all the boats covered in fairy lights and Christmas ornaments. Everywhere was bright and sparkling, casting reflections in the still water of the marina. Although the temperature had dropped more than usual the night was clear and the sky full of stars. It was the perfect night for a parade.

They stepped around a group of children chasing each other and continued down the pier, stopping once to buy paper cups of hot chocolate from a small stall and sipping them with gloved hands. Sam was looking for a trash can to dispose of his cup when his eyes flitted across the water and he saw her.

Surprisingly, they had managed to avoid bumping into each other until now. Jess had never needed to visit the children's hospital and Sam deliberately avoided her usual haunts, knowing that he would find it too painful to have to have that conversation with her. _How are you doing? Are you still teaching that adult's writing class? Me? Oh, I'm fine. Ever since you broke my heart and made me look like a total jackass I've been just fine._

She was silhouetted against the backdrop of brightly lit restaurants on the waterfront and leaning against the metal railing, her glassy eyes like huge orbs of light reflecting the water below. She seemed a little sad as she gazed out at the boats. Sam was surprised. He thought this would be exactly her kind of thing. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He could have taken Alice anywhere else and she would have been happy, and he could have avoided the situation he now found himself in.

Just as he decided he wasn't going to go over and say hi because she was too far away anyway, and that he was going to stay with his current girlfriend and try to forget that he had seen her and that his stomach had dropped into his shoes, a figure pushed past the people behind her and Nick appeared, looking as surly as usual. He handed Jess a packet of some sort of snack and she took it, snapping something at him. He tipped his head back in exasperation and said something back, gesturing angrily with his hands.

"Hey, can we buy a boat and sail around the world?" Alice asked playfully as she admired a particularly beautiful white boat tethered nearby. Sam draped his arm over her shoulder, feeling her infectious nature seeping into him.

"Sure," he replied with a grin. "Whatever my woman wants."

She batted her eyelashes. "I knew there was a reason I chose to date a doctor."

He chuckled, switching his attention back to Jess when he was certain Alice had become sufficiently distracted.

His eyes searched the surrounding area and he realised that the two of them were there alone, which meant that after Nick had rudely stolen Jess' attention using a drinking game and an empty loft hallway they had obviously decided to give it a go. He felt a pang of annoyance at how everything had turned out. He had been so stupid and blind, and had been made a fool of in return for his blissful ignorance. Although he knew it had never been and would never be Jess' intention to hurt anyone, it had taken him a long time to trust again. And when that time came, he damn well made sure she didn't live with any men.

"Look! They're setting off!" Alice stepped up on her toes to breathe in his ear. She pulled back and her eyes widened as she clutched his arm and watched the first fireworks soar into the air and explode above them. The boats began to move, circling the marina, sounds of cheering and children's 'oohs' and 'ahhs' surrounding them. Alice untangled herself from him to step closer to the water, craning above the line of people along the edge of the jetty to wave at the people on the boats. Sam couldn't help but grin at her happiness.

He turned his head again to watch Jess and Nick, genuinely curious now that he suspected they were an item. They weren't in their original places as spectators began to press closer to the railing where they had been, desperate for the best viewing position. A quick scan of the waterfront showed that they were away from the chaos, at the sidelines near the parking lot, uninterested in the display as they argued ferociously. Jess was poking Nick in the chest while he tried to pry her hands away, yelling at her. The beanie hat she was wearing was slipping off her head and she reached up to flatten it back over her bangs, narrowing her eyes at him.

Sam didn't want to feel the satisfaction he felt as he watched them fight. He knew that he was in love with Alice, truly in love with her and her daughter, and although he didn't regret his time with Jess he wouldn't have gone back to her in any circumstance. The feeling in his stomach wasn't jealousy or anger. It was more that he was mildly happy the reason he and Jess had broken up obviously wasn't as sugar coated as she had first thought. The thought that she and Nick were having a bumpy relationship with an inevitable end made him think that maybe, just maybe his misery over the whole ordeal wasn't completely one-sided. He felt a little bit less of a fool watching her lean away from his shouting, hands on hips and lips pursed.

He quickly checked Alice's position. She was in the same place, chatting animatedly to an elderly couple next to her as they pointed out their favourite boats.

"Oh! Sam! Check it out, someone named their boat after _moi_," Alice turned with a glimmer in her eyes to see him gazing openly at her and winked seductively, blowing him a kiss over her shoulder and making him laugh out loud. She beckoned him over and he shook his head, mouthing _two minutes_ at her. She shrugged and continued to watch the parade and the fireworks.

Nick and Jess seemed to have stopped shouting and were now squared off, as Jess said something to him. Nick looked a little defeated. Sam wondered if they were breaking up. He felt like he should look away, but the part of his brain that was insanely curious told him to keep watching.

Nick turned away from Jess and began walking towards the parking lot, one hand clenched into a fist by his side and the other running through his hair. Sam switched his gaze to Jess, who was swiping furiously at her eyes. He felt like he was watching a private moment separate from the celebration he was in the middle of. Forgetting himself for a moment, he watched as Jess started to march towards Nick, grabbing him forcefully by the shoulder and spinning him around to face her. She choked something out to him and he replied, shaking her off. Unperturbed, she stood up on her toes, gripped his shoulders firmly and kissed him, pulling him into her as they melded together.

Sam looked away momentarily, feeling mostly unsettled and nauseous watching his ex-girlfriend making out with someone else, but also a little intrusive. Swallowing and shrugging his jacket more tightly around himself, he looked back at them. They were wrapped tightly up in each other, Nick's hand tangled in Jess' hair, her hat abandoned on the road next to them. As they embraced Sam sighed to himself. He had been wrong about everything. As disappointing as it was, it was suddenly blindingly obvious. People who weren't in love didn't kiss each other like that. Hell, they didn't even argue like that.

"Seriously, you're missing everything! What are you _doing_?" came Alice's voice.

"Sorry! I'm coming babe. Sorry," he repeated, not quite able to tear his gaze from them yet. He could feel Alice's pouty glare on him. He knew he was being weird.

He was about to go back to his current girlfriend and get on with the rest of his night like a normal, non-creepy person when they broke apart, breathing each other in, foreheads together. Jess pulled her left hand from behind Nick's head and placed it gently on his cheek, rubbing her thumb under his eye. A loud boom sounded overhead and a shower of pink and green lit up the sky, reflecting brightly against the diamond ring on her finger. Jess pulled her head back slightly and looked up at Nick. Sam saw her lips move clearly in the dying light as she held his steady gaze and spoke. _I love you_.

He had seen enough. Resigned to the fact that he was in fact an idiot, and deserved the punishment he had received simply for not noticing what was clearly the most visible and inevitable chemistry on the planet, he puffed out a misty breath, shaking his head slightly and stepping up behind Alice.

She turned to him, leaning up to place a cold kiss on his cheek. "Where did you go just there?" she asked as he slipped his arms around her waist. She snuggled back, fitting perfectly into him. He kissed the top of her head, his lips brushing against the stiff wool.

"I spotted an old friend, that's all." He replied, his words muffled against her head. She took a while to register what he said, momentarily distracted by the fireworks above them. The display was coming to an end, the climax a whirl of colours as sparks crackled through the darkness. When she eventually returned to their conversation Sam had almost forgotten the whole ordeal he had witnessed five minutes ago, he was so wrapped up in the pleased noises she was making as she turned her flushed face up to the light.

"That must have been nice," she eventually said loudly over the cheers of the spectators, her gloved hands making a dull clapping noise. She turned in his arms to face him. "Were they doing OK?"

"Yeah," Sam replied with a tiny smirk, placing his hands either side of her face and leaning down to her. "I think they're doing just fine."


End file.
